I'll Catch You When You Fall
by MirrorDede
Summary: Exploration of Break and Liam's friendship, 7 years prior to present.
1. Chapter 1

**I'll Catch You When You Fall**

**This takes place about 7 yrs prior to the "present", before Oz and Alice showed up. I mostly wanted to explore a bit about Break and Liam's friendship, and couldn't resist inserting some warm fuzzies.**

**Mostly fluff, Break x Liam, Sharon x Gilbert, a bit of foul language. I tried to keep the characters "in character" but I see no harm in imagining and portraying them in a way that might seem slightly OOC, since characters like Break especially are complex enough to have sides to them that we might not expect. **

**Reviews welcome.**

**Chapter 1**

In his dream, Liam heard a crinkle and felt something lumpy underneath him. _I must be on the ground again, on top of some leaves and acorns, _he thought. _How did I end up here? Did I drink too much?_

He opened his eyes to the morning light, and was surprised to find himself in his own bed. He felt underneath his shoulder for the crinkly lump that had been disturbing his sleep for most of the morning. Even without his glasses, he could see that it was a piece of wrapped candy.

_What the heck?_

He reached for his glasses and put them on, and then noticed there was a trail of similar candies leading toward his bedroom door.

_Xerxes, what are you up to now?_

He quickly washed and dressed, then headed out the door, following the trail of candies to a patio where Xerxes Break was having tea by himself.

"Good morning, Liam!" Break sing-songed.

Liam dropped the collected candies on the plate in front of him.

"Are you ready for your next assignment?" Break asked, grinning.

Liam sighed and pushed up his glasses.

"Do I have a choice about it?" he muttered.

"Well you do have a choice, since it's not Pandora business, but I think you'll like this one," said Break. "We are going to set up a treasure hunt for Ojou-sama's birthday!"

Liam's brow furrowed.

"Isn't she a little... old for that?"

"Hmmm…" Break put his finger up to his lips. "I don't think so. The only one too old is me. You see, I can't hide the clues where I want to because it's hard for me to do things like climb trees and that's where I could use your help."

"Why do we need to climb a tree?" queried Liam. "Do you think Miss Sharon, with her long dress, will be able to climb a tree to find a clue?"

"Ah, she doesn't need to. _You_ just need to climb the tree outside her bedroom window and put the first clue there. That way she'll see it when she wakes tomorrow. Then you need to add a date with Cheryl to Rufus's schedule so that the Duchess be away from Rainsworth manor…" he leaned forward conspiratorially, "…when I sneak in the giant cake with the half-naked shota boy inside it."

"What the hell?" Liam exclaimed. "D-did you hire someone to…be in the cake?"

"Ah, no," Break said, smiling, "I plan to get Gilbert Nightray to do it. I could use your help with that as well. You've got a key to the wine cellar, don't you?"

"Agg," Liam put his hands up to his blushing face. "You're crazy, Xerxes."

"Mmm, hmm…but I know what Milady likes," Break laughed and danced a circle around his cane. "We are going to have soooo much fun tomorrow!"

"You truly have no shame," Liam muttered. _How did Xerxes gain so much self-assured confidence so fast? He was such a fearful man just a few years back._

"No shame!" screeched Emily, from her perch on Break's shoulder.

_Ah Liam, I like it when you're annoyed with me,_ thought Break. _That's how it should be. A murderer like me doesn't deserve any better._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Why the hell am I doing this_, thought Liam, leaning off the tree branch toward Sharon's bedroom window. It was night time, and quite dark. Xerxes Break was at the base of the tree, holding a candelabra so that Liam could see well enough to put the treasure hunt clue in Sharon's window.

_Oh that's right. Xerxes is my friend. You always help your friends. No matter how crazy their ideas are. _

Liam grunted involuntarily as he lurched toward the window and tacked the sign to it with a thud.

"Shhhhh," hissed Break. "Don't wake Milady."

Nervously, Liam tried to get down the tree as fast as possible in case Sharon woke and looked out her window. In his haste, his foot missed a branch and he fell. Break cast the candelabra down quickly, and caught Liam in his arms, while Liam's glasses flew off.

"You're lightweight, Liam," Break whispered, "and without your glasses, you might pass for a shota boy yourself."

Liam was grateful that the dark hid his facial expression.

_Damn, _thought Break, putting Liam back on his feet. _I can't see well enough in the dark to know if that comment made him blush._

"My glasses," Liam muttered, dropping to his knees to feel around for them. He soon sensed the other man's kneeling presence nearby.

_I'm surprised he's helping me look_, Liam thought.

Just as Liam found the glasses with his left hand, he felt Break's hand press down on his right hand.

"Is that your hand?" asked Break, taking Liam's hand in both of his.

"Of course it is, you idiot," murmured Liam, marveling at the softness of Break's hands and getting more and more flustered as Break's fingertips danced from the edge of his wrist, across his palm and settled into the grooves between his fingers.

"Tickle tickle!" Break teased.

_This hand has done so much to help me…why? _Break thought._ Sometimes I wish he'd smack me, like Miss Sharon does. _

"You must think I'm crazy," Break giggled a bit nervously.

"Of course I think you're crazy," Liam sputtered, "I thought you were crazy before, and I still do. I'll probably always think you're crazy, you impudent old goof, because…you're not like anyone else." _And I really like that about you._

"Hoho," said Break, grinning and pressing Liam's hand between his palms. "Well then, where were we? Ah yes, I wanted to tell you I really appreciate your helping Miss Sharon. I think she'll reeeeally like this birthday surprise."

Liam cleared his throat.

"I'm not doing this for Miss Sharon, you fool," Liam grumbled, shaking Break's hand off. "I'm doing it for you. Because you asked me to."

"I see," said Break. "So that's how it is." _You'll do what I ask because I asked you to, not because you like me or anything. That's how it should be. I don't need you to like me._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was just prior to midnight, the night before Miss Sharon's birthday, and Liam was creeping around Rainsworth manor, placing papers with poetic clues here and there to lead the birthday girl to each successive stage in the treasure hunt Xerxes Break was planning for her.

Liam stood on tiptoe, and tucked a note on top of the mantel behind a portrait of the former duchess of Rainsworth manor. The weight of history settled upon him whenever he looked at that image of Sharon's great-grandmother. But his thoughts kept returning to his friend, Xerxes, who had set him on this task of hiding notes.

_I don't know much about Xerxes or his past life. He's quite mysterious. That mystery gets my imagination going…and I imagine he was quite the great, heroic Knight, because he has those moments of strength and greatness about him, despite his clownish fa__ç__ade. He's so different from me…_

Xerxes Break, meanwhile, was in his room unwrapping lollipops and rewrapping them with pictures of pretty young men hidden inside. He smiled imagining the look on Sharon's face when she'd see them. _Oh, I hope to get her all riled up and blushing, ho ho!_ But even as he imagined Sharon's reaction, his thoughts kept returning to his friend Liam.

_He helps me all the time, but often seems sort of reluctant about it, thank goodness. If he was whole-heartedly going along with whatever I said to do, I suspect I'd feel guilty. As long as he's irritable with me, it's fine. _

"Ah, I still need to move the rolling platform for the cake into the kitchen…" Break said aloud to himself. "The cook said it was stuck somehow and he couldn't get it out. I don't suppose Liam's around to help me…" He sighed and left his room, wandering down to the storeroom adjacent to the kitchen.

He found the rolling platform and it was indeed wedged under something. He jostled it with his cane, kicked it with his foot, and looked closely by candlelight to try to find the obstruction.

"Don't make me bring out Mad Hatter for this…" he muttered.

Meanwhile, Liam was finishing up his task and heading down the hall to go home. Still, he was thinking about Break…

_Even if I were to carry around a tin of candies and constantly offered them to people, I don't think I could ever have the vivacity and charisma that man has. Sure, he's a total prick sometimes, but still…_

Just then he heard a crashing sound coming from the direction of the storeroom. Liam tried to make out what was going on by the light of his candle, but couldn't see what was happening until seconds before it happened. What he saw was Xerxes Break hurtling toward him, at high speed, atop some kind of rolling platform. The platform hit the edge of the door frame, stopped crookedly, and Break went flying uncontrollably from the platform and straight into Liam.

They wound up on the floor, with Break on top of Liam.

"Oh Liam," said Break, catching his breath. "That was quite a wild ride and I'm glad you were at the end of it to catch me."

"I didn't catch you, you idiot, you flew into me. And your elbow is in my rib cage. It hurts."

"Sorry," said Break, clamboring to his feet, then holding out a hand to Liam.

Liam took his hand, got up, adjusted his glasses and brushed himself off.

"I hid all the notes you asked me to," said Liam. "And I'm heading home now, unless you need me for anything else."

"Ah, thank you, Liam-san. That will be all," said Break, bowing. "You truly are my Knight."

"A Knight?" Liam sputtered. "I'm not a Knight!"

"Well, a Page then," suggested Break. "Or how about this…you're like the roots of a tree. Mostly invisible, but very important to the support of the whole system," Break fluttered his hands and grinned.

Liam blushed.

"I'm flattered by the comparison…I think," Liam said. "Well, good-night."

"Good-night," said Break, smiling warmly.

And as they took leave of each other, they both had the same thought:

_You sometimes act like you care about me…whether you really do or not, I don't know. I'm fine with you just pretending. It's better than nothing._


	4. Chapter 4

**[Hopefully you've already read the latest chapter of **_**Pandora Hearts**_**, where Liam enjoys being licked by Bandersnatch! If not, you'll just have to trust me that Liam enjoys being licked.]**

**Chapter 4**

It was the following afternoon, and Sharon had found all the hidden clues of the treasure hunt, to lead her to the final surprise. The treasure hunt paper advised the following:

_Enter the Tea Room at quarter to four_

_But not until you've stood outside the door_

_And rapped upon it with your paper fan_

_The count of five times, dear Sharon-chan_

"Sharon-chan! Hrrumph!" said Sharon, scowling at the use of the diminutive 'chan.' "Do they think I'm still a child? I'm turning sixteen today!"

She sighed deeply, tried to compose herself into some semblance of ladylike, then knocked on the door five times with her fan.

Xerxes Break opened the door.

"Xerx-nii!" she exclaimed, holding her arms open wide. "Are you my present?"

"Uh, no Milady," Break said, covering his mouth with his hand in an effort to hide his embarrassed smile. _I don't deserve to be in your arms._ He stepped back and pointed toward the giant birthday cake with his cane. It was taller than Sharon, and covered with pale pink frosting.

Sharon gasped.

"Happy Birthday!" Break yelled so loudly Sharon jumped in surprise. This was clearly a cue to someone, and momentarily, the top of the cake broke open, and Gilbert's drunken head poked out.

"Happy birthday," slurred Gilbert. Seventeen-years old, and drunk out of his mind, he was being hoisted up by a clearly put-upon Liam, who was also inside the cake trying to prop a shirtless Gilbert up with his arms.

"Agg!" shrieked Sharon. "Oh, what is this?" She covered her blushing cheeks with her hands.

"Hmm, I guess it isn't obvious?" said Break, tapping his finger against his lip. "Just ignore Liam there, will you, and notice the sexy young man who is attempting to jump out of the cake to entertain and thrill you. And would do so certainly, if he hadn't had just a _bit too much_ to drink."

"Who is that boy?" Sharon asked, her hands clasped in front of her chest. "It looks a bit like Gilbert Nightray, but I can't see for all the frosting on his head."

"Would you like a taste?" offered Break.

Sharon giggled and went over to where Liam was laying Gilbert down on the chaise-lounge. Gilbert moaned as Sharon leaned forward and began licking frosting off his face.

"Oh, I really do think you are that Nightray boy," Sharon said, in between licks. "I'll be the envy of all the other girls when they find out about this." She carefully licked all the frosting off his face and said,

"Would you like a taste, Gilbert-kun? I can put a bit on the tip of my tongue for you to suck off," she giggled at Gilbert, who just moaned again and put his hand on his forehead.

Liam staggered over to Break.

"Have you been drinking, too, Liam?"

"Of course," he said, "Gilbert wouldn't drink alone. He thought I might be trying to poison him. So we shared the bottle."

"Ah, I've always wanted to see you _really_ drunk!" Break fluttered his hands about. "And you look simply delicious with that frosting on your face…" He leaned forward, grasped Liam's shoulders, pulled him closer and then licked a large clump of frosting off his cheek.

"The things I do for you, Xerxes Break," muttered Liam.

"My pleasure," Break muttered, licking his lips, "Oh, I mean...thank you…mmm…" He leaned in and took another lick, from the place in front of Liam's ears.

"Hmm, you're not complaining, so I'll keep tasting you…I mean, the frosting…on you," Break said, taking another lick, this time from Liam's chin.

_That feels nice…_thought Liam_. I'm embarrassed to admit it feels quite nice_. A grin came over his face.

"I dare say you're enjoying this, which confuses me," commented Break. _Can't you tell I'm trying to annoy you?_

"It's really not…bad," muttered Liam, who pitched forward and collapsed in Break's arms.

_I'll always be there to catch you_, each man thought, while holding each other in a warm embrace.

_**The End**_

_**Thanks for Reading!**_

_**Reviews Welcome**_


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